IG chief market analyst Chris Beauchamp said: "Markets have continued their gradual recovery from the panic of Wednesday's session, with the FTSE 100 now less than 1% from its all-time high."

In London, Traders remained confident in the prospects of Just Eat despite an announcement by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) that it will probe the proposed £200m ($260m) takoever of online takeaway ordering rival hungryhouse amid concerns the deal could curb competition.

The CMA said it would launch an "in-depth" probe over fears that "the merger could lead to worse terms for restaurants using either company".

However, shares in the FTSE 250 firm lifted more than 2%, or 15p to 607p. Shares have jumped 18% since the middle of February.

The biggest afternoon risers in the FTSE 100 Index were Fresnillo (+37p to 1618p), ITV (+3.8p to 195.8p), Next (+80p to 4434p), Anglo American (+18.5p to 1085.5p) and Smurfit Kappa Group (+36p to 2135p).

The biggest afternoon fallers in the FTSE 100 Index were Hikma Pharmaceuticals (-80p to 1620p), Smiths Group (-63p to 1566p), Royal Mail (-10.1p to 423.5p), Johnson Matthey (-71p to 3009p) and Experian (-31p to 1629p).

The biggest afternoon risers in the FTSE 250 Index were Berendsen (+58p to 1104p), Senior (+11.2p to 233.4p), Petra Diamonds (+5p to 134.7p), Renishaw (+130p to 3517p) and Safestore Holdings (+15.6p to 439p).